Americans are in a posture crisis. Many common aches and pains we have can be traced back to poor posture. Every day I see people of all ages with bad, awful, or wretched posture. At a health lecture a few weeks ago, I tried to find ONE person with good posture among the 300 attendees. I could not find even one person with pretty-good posture who I would consider asking to be a model for any of my posture videos, seminars, or photo shoots.
So what are the hallmarks of good posture? I look for the shoulders to hang behind the body's front-to-back midline such that the person would have a high ribcage. Second, I look for the neck and head angle to be upright so that the head sits squarely over the body midline. Third, I look at the low-back and hips. The pelvis should be vertical front-to-back and level left-to- right. The pubic bone should be forward so that the abdomen is mostly flat. Lastly, I look at the knees and the feet. When a person is walking or standing, the knees should be directly over the feet, but in a balanced, even, unforced way. Finally, I look at how a person walks, to see how they balance their weight from foot-to-foot and front-to-back. Are they graceful? Coordinated? Is the chest high? Do the arms swing evenly to balance movement smoothly?
When I am out-and-about, I am perturbed that I cannot find anyone with very good posture. What people don't know is by having bad posture, they set themselves up for long-term problems such as neck pain, shoulder problems, shortness of breath, headaches, jaw pain, chronic lower back pain, knee problems, and foot problems.
Do you have friends who are in need of a posture intervention? Maybe that person is actually you. Is it time for you to do something about your posture? This is the summer of perfect posture.
Read more about it: Do your own Posture Intervention THIS Summer
